Known industrial input/output modules are described, for example, in DE4402002 A1, EP1173902 B1 and US 2001/034165 A1. These known industrial input/output modules are generally mounted on a carrier rail and can be combined using their lateral faces. A guiding and retention device is positioned along a lateral face. Contacts are arranged along the lateral faces so that they are accessible from the outer side and serve to supply electrical power and data transmission. When urged together, contacts become automatically connected to the contacts of the adjacent module. Since these known modules are often roughly handled, the plug connections must be robust and also allow reliable contacting under adverse environmental conditions.
FIG. 7 of EP1173902 B1 shows a known plug contact module having two contact members which together restrict a contact blade receiving member. The contact blade receiving member is arranged along a lateral wall of the known input/output module in order to be accessible from an outer side. An additional known plug contact module with contact blades is positioned along an opposing lateral wall, with the contact blades arranged to be accessible from the outer side. When connecting the two known modules along their lateral faces, in the direction towards the carrier rail, the contact blades automatically move into the contact blade receiving member and produce an electrical connection with the contact members of the other plug contact module. In this manner, data can flow between adjacent known input/output modules connected to each other.
Practice has shown that the known plug contact modules described in EP1173902 B1 in the form of socket and blade contacts do not meet the requirements for a loss-free transmission with the currently required high data rates in the range of several gigabits per second.